storybook identity
by sakuraii
Summary: They are all, he realizes, like the makings of some storybook, almost too good to be true. -rikucentric/sora-riku-kairi friendship


Disclaimer: I don't own Disney, or Square-Enix

A/N: Riku has always been one of my favorite characters. He's so twisted. I wrote this a while ago,

but I finally fixed it up and decided to upload it-so here it is!

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><p><strong>storybook identity<strong>

sora-riku-kairi friendship ;

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Night falls and the trio lies in the pristine sand, fingers intertwined as they stargaze and look for the worlds they've once ventured in the sky.

The brunette is grinning as always, propped up on one of his elbows, his free hand clasping his silver-haired friend's as he babbles excitedly to the pretty, little redhead who he's obviously trying to impress.

The wine-haired Princess of Heart giggles, shifting on her side so she can see the brunette over the silverette's still figure.

A crooked smile tugs at Riku's lips. Even after their seemingly endless adventures, his best friends are still so mirthful, so innocent it puts him to shame. It's so surreal that they're home now, so suddenly. It's almost as if nothing ever happened in the first place—but Riku knows better.

For one, he has battle scars as constant reminders, callused hands from handling weaponry. But the most prominent reminder is the Darkness he had once given into, a temptation he'll continue to fight for the rest of his life.

He shivers as he remembers the experience, remembers being alone—that painful loneliness, being possessed…he'd never felt anything like it…

Kairi's sudden outburst of laughter rips him from his dark musings (Sora had apparently done something hilarious that he'd missed). _Kairi_. He casts a sideways glance her way, his heart warming at the thought of her being so happy…and safe.

Just years ago she'd been missing her heart. She'd been nothing more than a shell, an emotionless hollow doll that he'd sworn to restore…and failed. Thankfully, Sora had stepped in and sacrificed his own for her…the sap.

But the past is the past, Riku thinks. It's time to move on. But he knows it's easier said than done. It will take a while to defeat the demons of his past and find a solution to the question he's wanted to answer since he'd given in to the Darkness.

_Who am I now?_

Would he ever find the answer? He knows who _Sora_ is. Sora is Light. He is the courageous Keyblade-wielding knight in shining armor who managed to keep his head and protect the worlds from utter destruction—Nobodies and Heartless alike—while saving Kairi in the process.

And Kairi? Well, Kairi is the Seventh Princess of Heart. Kairi is strength, faith and impenetrable perseverance wrapped into the form of a gorgeous teenage girl. Kairi had been Sora's motivation…and his too.

So who was Riku…?

The sinful curiosity that had started it all? The corrupted ambition that had put his friends in danger in the first place? The naïve power-freak who'd thought that he could save Kairi by choosing the wrong path, Darkness?

Riku frowns.

If this is all that I am, he thinks, than I don't deserve to be between these two…

"Riku, you're brooding again…" Riku is ripped from his musings, staring into a pair of concerned blue eyes. Sora is hovering about him, his boyish lips forming a pout.

"Yeah, Riku…what were you thinking about?" Kairi's delicate hand tangles in Riku's moonlight locks lovingly, and something inside him breaks.

"O-oh, it's nothing. Nothing really," he lies, and they both see right through him, staring him down with wide worried eyes.

There is no need to press and question Riku any further.

Sora knows. He sits up, grabs Riku by both arms, and pulls him upward in a tight embrace, pressing his face into the crook of his neck.

Kairi knows. She wraps her arms around the both of them and kisses Riku's hair.

Before he knows it, Riku is trembling, and then he is crying. The tears are streaming down his porcelain cheeks in rivulets, telling the story of his regret and sorrow. He cries, because it all begins to make sense.

Sora is the Knight and shining armor, the divine force that never loses sight of the Light.

Kairi is the Princess with a heart of gold; the epitome of all things lovely and pure.

And Riku is the tragically beautiful knight with redemption in his sight—the balance that keeps them all together.

Riku smirks cynically through his tears, looking up at the stars as the Princess and the Knight continue to console him. They are all, he realizes, like the makings of some storybook, almost too good to be true.

Kairi's lips brush against Riku's forehead comfortingly, and Riku feels Sora's nose brush against his neck—and then he lets his guilt go.

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><p>r&amp;r? :D<p> 


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